Littlebury

Noted in Paley (1844) as one of two examples (the other being Thaxted, in the same county) of specimens in which "the entire font is encased in wood, to which the cover is made to fit." Sperling (1860) identifies "three very elaborate font covers casing the whole font, and terminating in crocketed canopies, remain at Thaxtead [sic], Littlebury, and Takeley: at the latter place it has been coverted into a surplice box." Both the font and the font cover are noted with an illustration in the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (Essex, 1916-1923): "Font: with square bowl, chamfered to octagonal shape, on central shaft and four angle-shafts with crude capitals and bases, late 13th-century. Font-case: enclosing font, of oak linenfold panelling, with double doors, hinges with crossed swords, hammer, the letters IHC, etc., carved and moulded cornice, pyramidal top, crocketted, buttressed and pinnacled and surmounted by a figure of Christ, early 16th-century." Described in Hutton (1957) as a Transitional font [i.e., 1150 to 1200 approx.] "in fine Tudor linenfold wood casing with doors, engraved hinges, and pinnacled cover." Bond (1908) describes this type of cover as 'Floor Buffet' which "rests on the floor not on the rim; and thus cases up the font completely. It is provided with doors for access to the font", and gives the covers at Littlebury and Thaxted as examples of the Gothic version of this type [probably after Paley]. In Pevsner (1976) as one of several noteworthy font covers in this county: "Font case. Square, with linenfold panelling and a pyramidal canopywith niches, gables, buttresses, cockets, and finial -- early C16 (cf. Saffron Walden)." Bettley & Pevsner (2007) add on the font: "Square bowl, late C13 [...]", and for the casing they give Thaxted as a cognate.